Have you ever thought about what it would be like to consume only meat and cheese?

A man in his 40s found himself admitted to a Florida hospital with extremely high cholesterol levels. He informed the medical team that his daily intake consisted of around 6 to 9 pounds of cheese, several sticks of butter, and numerous hamburgers. This information comes from a study released in JAMA Cardiology on Wednesday.

For roughly 8 months, this man followed a high-fat, meat-dominant diet, taking tips from the internet, as explained by Dr. Konstantinos Marmagkiolis, an interventional cardiologist at Tampa General Hospital and the man’s treating physician.

The goal of this diet was to help him manage his weight and enhance his overall health, as noted by Marmagkiolis, who also authored the JAMA paper and serves as a collaborative associate professor of cardiology at the University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine.

The man did experience some positive changes: he lost weight, felt more energetic, and noticed better mental clarity, as highlighted in the journal.

However, when he visited Marmagkiolis’ hospital last spring, he presented with smooth yellowish lumps on his palms, elbows, and the bottoms of his feet.

His cholesterol level was astoundingly over 1,000 mg per deciliter, significantly higher than his usual range of 210 to 300 mg. For reference, normal cholesterol levels for adults should be below 200 mg, which is five times lower than this man’s level, according to data from Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Marmagkiolis diagnosed him with xanthelasma, a condition where cholesterol deposits form on the skin. The man consented to allow researchers to share details about his health situation, omitting his name.

Xanthelasma appears as yellow growths, primarily around the eyelids near the nose, affecting about 1% of women and 0.3% of men. Although typically harmless, it can be a sign of an increased risk for heart disease or a heart attack later in life, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

While cholesterol is essential for building cells and producing vitamins and hormones, excessive amounts can lead to fat plaque forming in the arteries, elevating the chance of heart attack and stroke.

The liver naturally produces enough cholesterol for bodily needs, which is typically sufficient for health.

Foods like meat and dairy, common in high-protein diets such as the one the man was following, are also high in cholesterol.

His case serves as a reminder of how diet directly impacts cholesterol levels and underscores the importance of monitoring them.

It also raises a caution for both healthcare providers and individuals considering such diets.

“Not everyone is suited for these types of diets,” Marmagkiolis warned. “For those who are, it’s crucial to keep track of their cholesterol levels.”